This
story may occasionally include explicit depictions of sexual acts between
consenting adult males. If you are underage or it is illegal to view this
for any reason, consider yourself warned. If you find this material
offensive, please leave.

"Yes," Cory replied as he put his hand on my thigh. "Last
night. I asked last night, and Connor accepted. And, before anyone gets any
ideas. We are planning our wedding. Not you, mother. Not you, Connie. Not you, Garth.
Connor and I will plan our wedding. Understand?"

"Thanks for the kind words, Dad," Garth said as he glared
at his father.

"If you'd lose a few pounds, you might not be so self-conscious
at the beach," Mr. Wainwright said to Garth as he snickered to himself.

"Be kind, Donald," Mrs. Wainwright warned. "Garth can't
help it if he has developed an eating disorder."

"I am not self-conscious, mother, and I don't have an
eating disorder either," Garth shot back at his parents.

"You're going a little Bette Davis on us now, Garth," Dwaine
added to the heat of the conversation. "It sounds as though you're just a
little touchy about your sudden weight gain."

"Back to your wedding," Mrs. Wainwright said as she turned
the attention back to Cory and me. "Why not have it at the club?"

"We'll probably have it somewhere in the Boston area,"
Cory replied. "I'm certain Connor will want to invite people from or connected
to the Center. Unlike the people sitting here at this table, it might be a
financial hardship for some of them to make the journey. Right, Connor?"

"Definitely," I replied. "Some people look at the starving
actor routine as funny. It's not. In most cases, it's all too real. Besides,
I'd be happy having it at John and Noel's house. I've been to three weddings there
in the last year. There's also a UCC church within walking distance of their
house, too."

"This is your cousin's house?" Leo asked.

"Noel, my cousin, and John, his husband, rehabbed a house
on Brattle Street in Cambridge," I began. "The entire first floor, with the
exception of a guest room, consists of one giant open space."

"On Brattle Street?" Garth asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"What do your cousin and his husband do professionally?"
Garth continued. "Brattle Street is very pricey!"

"Noel works for Hanley-Dawson as an account exec, and John
works for a fairly young, yet extremely successful, website development firm in
Kendall Square," I explained. "They've done well financially. And both Hanley-Dawson
and eSquare have become corporate sponsors of the Center."

"Hanley-Dawson is one of the largest ad agencies on the
East Coast," Leo added.

"I believe as of last month, Hanley-Dawson is the largest
ad agency in the country," Cory interjected. "I've seen some of the projects
they've done for the Center. Amazing talent there."

"Why not have your wedding at your Center for the Arts?"
Mr. Wainwright asked. "You both seem very connected to it."

"I like the idea," I added. "Weddings are like performance
art to a degree. Thank you for the idea, Mr. Wainwright!"

"You're welcome, Connor," Mr. Wainwright replied. "It
could be quite a show. Your groomsmen could give their toasts in their boxers."

"We should be going, Connor," Cory suggested. "We have a
lot of ground to cover on our tour today."

"When do you think you'll be back, Cory?" Mr. Wainwright
asked.

"Around four," Cory replied. "Why?"

"When you return, could you and Connor join me in the
library for a pre-cocktail hour cocktail?" Mr Wainwright asked.

"Sure," Cory replied. "We'll drop by the library around
four. Is there anything we can bring? Maybe your favorite scotch?"

"You know, of course, Cory, I'd never turn down a good
scotch!" Mr. Wainwright added. "Have you developed a taste for scotch, Connor?"

"Not yet, but I suspect I will," I replied.

"We'll start this afternoon," Mr. Wainwright confirmed my
thoughts.

~~~~~

Saturday Lunch with Cory

Cory and I sat having lunch at the Dockside Bar and Grill
in Sag Harbor. We looked onto the water.

"This is nice," I said. "Very pleasant."

"It is," Cory added. "It's been here for a long time.
Always good. Do you have any comments about our breakfast conversation?"

"The morning discussions were interesting," I said. "I'll be
honest with you, Cory. I would give anything to be able to have a conversation
with my mother, father, and siblings. I didn't have any of that. I won't have
any of that with my family because my family is so dysfunctional. You're lucky,
Cory. Don't forget it or take this morning's conversation for granted. End of
sermon!"

Cory sat speechless as he pondered my words. He took a sip
of water, "Connor. You're so right. I thought I wanted to be anywhere but sitting
with my parents and siblings during some parts of this morning's conversation. I
learn something from you during every discussion we have. We've had discussions
about the differences in our financial situations. But you bring so much more
to this relationship than money, Connor. Money can't buy your honesty, passion,
humility, energy, and devotion to people and causes. I always thought money,
status, and power were what I wanted out of life. I'm looking forward to a life
with you, the dogs, kids, and maybe even a house in the burbs. Thanks for the
lessons, Connor! I love you for all the things you are."

The waiter arrived with our salads. I watched Cory. I felt
a tear forming in my eye.

"You're a beautiful man, Cory Wainwright," I finally said
after the waiter left. "And I share your dream of a life with dogs, kids, and
suburbia... as long as it is not too far out of the city."

"About the kids," Cory began. "Do you want them made in
our image, or do you want to adopt them?"

"Adopt them," I replied without thinking. "Three of them."

"I see we'll have our hands full," Cory said with a smile.

My phone started pinging as though it would explode at any
minute.

"Someone must be needing your assistance," Cory said as I
pulled out my phone.

I had a series of texts.

Tracy was the first: `Connor! Why didn't you tell me you
were playing Humphry in the movie Haywire?'

My agent was second: `Connor, I talked to the people doing
the movie Haywire. They want you to play Humphry. They want you so badly
they are willing to pay you ten million. Connor, this is a ten-million-dollar
deal for just signing the contract. They mentioned it to some entertainment media
outlets. You might hear about it before you read this text.'

"Holy fuck!" I exclaim to the well-healed lunch crowd who
suddenly had all eyes on me. I showed Cory the text from my agent Clyde.

"This is amazing!" Cory said. He looked as though shock
had overcome him. "I don't know what to say."

"I'm not doing it," I said to myself, but Cory definitely
heard my words.

"Why not?" Cory asked.

"If I do one, I'll get suckered into doing another and
another and another... What happens to the kids we were talking about? What
happens to the house in the suburbs? What happens to us if I'm flying all over
God knows where and not at home where I want to be?"

"It isn't your whole life for an actor," Cory began. "You're
filming the movie for three to six months. Post production takes six months
after you finish filming. Sometimes longer. You'll do some pre-release media
events, television interviews, magazine and newspaper interviews, and maybe
other appearances. Then, you're done until you're nominated for an Oscar.
Topped off by accepting your Oscar."

"How do you know all this stuff?" I asked.

"We have an investment in a production company," Cory
explained.

"Wait!" I exclaimed as I took in the information Cory just
added to the conversation. I leaned over the table and looked Cory in the eyes.
I slowly and quietly put into words what I thought. "Wainwright Studios? Your
family fucking owns Wainwright Studios? What doesn't your family own?"

"They're the ones who bought the film rights to Haywire,"
I continued in my quiet voice. "They're the ones who want me to be in the movie
version of the Broadway show I won a Tony for. You fucking own Wainwright
Studios, don't you Cory?"

"I personally don't own Wainwright Studios," Cory
explained. "A group of people in my immediate family own a venture capital
company which owns a major piece of Wainwright Studios. I suppose you want to
know who those people in my immediate family who own an interest in the venture
capital firm who owns a major piece of Wainwright Studios are."

"You're pretty much on target, Cory," I said. Again, I
used my slow, quiet voice.

"Connie, Garth, and I own the venture capital firm," Cory
admitted.

"Wouldn't it be illegal for Wainwright Studios to offer
one of the owner's husband a contract for a film?" I asked.

"No," Cory replied. "Just for the record. I had no
knowledge of this whole matter, Connor. None. I knew the studio bought the film
rights. But I had no idea they'd want you to be the lead. All of the daily
details of what movie they make or what actors they hire are made by the experienced
staff at Wainwright Studios."

We had already finished our lunch by the time we ended the
conversation about me starring in the film version of Haywire.

"Shouldn't we be heading back to the house to talk with
your father?" I asked.

"Yes," Cory replied. "Are you mad at me?"

"You know, I should be pissed," I replied. "But you know
what? I'm not. I can only stay pissed at you for a couple of minutes. Then I
start thinking about getting your body naked in bed. I forget what I'm pissed
about. Why was I pissed at you, Cory?"

"I don't know," Cory said as we slipped out of the booth
and moved toward the exit.

As we approached the house in Cory's rental car, I added
some last-minute suggestions. "Can we please not announce the possibility of a
movie deal?"

"Of course," Cory replied.

~~~~~

Secrets Reveled

"Is this a good time?" Cory asked his father as we entered
the library.

"It's a perfect time," Mr. Wainwright said as Cory handed
him a bottle of scotch we bought on the way home from lunch. "It's a perfect
time for a glass of this perfect scotch, too!"

A young man wearing a button-down shirt and form fitting
slacks placed a tray on the table between the love seat and two chairs on
opposite sides of the table. The tray had three on the rocks glasses and a
bucket of ice.

"Thank you, Garth," I said as I gave Cory a look cold
enough to form ice.

"Connor's agent sent Connor a text today while we were at
lunch," Cory explained to his father. "A studio wants to make a film version of
Haywire and wants Connor to play the lead."

"Congratulations! You must be excited, Connor!" Mr.
Wainwright said to me as he handed me a scotch on the rocks. "Just sip until
you've allowed your palate time to adjust."

"Thank you, Mr. Wainwright," I began. "I am excited. I
freaked out at lunch when I read the text from my agent. Cory managed to calm
me down. I never in my wildest dreams thought about working in films."

"Does your agent have experience in the film industry?"
Mr. Wainwright asked.

"I'm not certain," I replied. "I don't know of any clients
he represents who are not in the theater."

"If not, you'll want to insist he put an attorney
experienced in the legal aspects of film contracts and negotiations on retainer.
The process for film is quite different than theater. Cory knows one of the
best."

"Dominic Fairchild," Cory explained. "We went to Harvard
undergrad together. We can connect with him later."

"The reason I wanted to speak with the two of you is quite
simple," Mr. Wainwright began. "It's about finances. How will you partition the
income and assets each of you have or will have? Have you thought about any of
these pesky issues?"

"I suggested we sign a prenup," I said.

"I suggested we don't sign a prenup," Cory added. "I want
us to be equals in this relationship. My assets and Connors assets all mixed
together in one pot."

"I understand, Cory," Mr. Wainwright continued. "When
Elizabeth and I married, I thought like Connor. I like your idea, Cory. Let the
chips fall where they are. However, Connor, you will be in a totally different
financial situation when this movie contract comes through. After you've made
two or three films, your net worth could easily exceed Cory's."

"You're fucking shitting me, right?" I asked before I
thought of my choice of words. I felt my whole body turn a deep, fire engine
red in a matter of milliseconds. "I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to offend you.
I'm just a little excited by all this."

"You can use any fucking word you want with me, Connor,"
Mr. Wainwright said with a smile. "My wife would feign disbelief you used words
like fuck and shit and damn. But she's used a few select phrases herself over
the years and could embarrass a truck driver. But getting back to our
discussion. The film business can be quite lucrative. You need a good financial
planner and a good investment broker."

"Dad's right, Con," Cory added. "Especially if the movie
is a hit. Residuals alone could make you a very wealthy man."

"We can talk about this if this movie deal goes through,"
I decided. "It could very well fizzle."

"Am I interrupting?" Mrs. Wainwright said as she stepped
into the library.

"I also wanted to tell you about another dilemma Elizabeth
and I have," Mr. Wainwright changed the topic as he refreshed all our drinks. "We
wanted to explain our dilemma and let you two help us with our decision."

"Do you remember the house where your grandparents lived
in Cambridge?" Mrs. Wainwright asked Cory.

"Yes, of course," Cory replied. "Just off Brattle Street.
Walking distance to Harvard Yard. A great mid-century modern house. Why?"

"We still own it," Mrs. Wainwright replied. "We planned to
either put it on the market or sell it to you, Cory. But, instead, we've
decided to sell it to both of you if you want it. It needs updating. We were
thinking about two-hundred-thousand."

"The bones of the house look to be as sound as the day it
was built," Mr. Wainwright explained. "Your mother was kind to say it needs
updating. It's original contemporary features are all still intact. Your
grandparents left a sizeable trust to cover maintenance and repairs to the
property."

"Naturally, we'd like to keep it in the family," Mrs.
Wainwright added.

"Won't Garth and Connie feel they've been stiffed?" Cory
asked.

"No," Mr. Wainwright continued. "They don't live in
Boston. They don't plan on living in Boston. And you were the one who visited your
grandparents all the time."

"Cory," Mrs. Wainwright began to explain. "You and Connor
have something neither one of our other children have. You have empathy,
understanding, and emotional intelligence."

"Leo is in the relationship with Garth for the money," Mr.
Wainwright added. "And Connie has become more concerned about how things look
rather than how things really are. I'm not certain how much longer Dwaine will
be in the picture."

"But you don't even really know me," I finally said.

"We know Cory," Mrs. Wainwright responded to my comment.
"We know he wouldn't be in a relationship with you if he didn't see the kind,
gentle and loving person you are, Connor. So, in a way, we really do know you."

"Back to the house," Cory said. "Isn't two-hundred
thousand awfully cheap for a four-bedroom house in one of the nicer sections of
Cambridge?"

"Just think of it as a family discount," Mr. Wainwright
explained.

"We'll look at the when we get back to Boston," Cory
agreed.

~~~~~

The Secret's Out

"Connor," Cory said to me as we headed into the city to
catch our plane. "You seem quiet. Is anything wrong?"

"No," I replied. "I'm just thinking about the weekend with
your family. I had a wonderful time getting to know everyone."

"I hear a `but' in your voice," Cory said after a few
moments of silence.

"I remembered how I knew Dwaine," I began.

"How?" Cory asked.

"Conrad referred him to me," I explained. "Dwaine was a
client. Several times. I was a sophomore in college."

"How many is several times?" Cory asked.

"Once a week for an entire year," I explained.

"Where did he get the money?" Cory asked.

"I don't know, but probably the same place he got the
money for the condo he lived in," I added. "Daddy Carlisle?"

"Maybe my father knows about Dwaine's proclivities," Cory
said.

"Your father did mention Dwaine might not be around for
the long-term," I pointed out. "I hope he doesn't knowor find outabout me and
Dwaine."

"How could he?" Cory asked. "It's not like you advertised
on television... How was Dwaine in bed?"

"Do you really want to know?" I asked.

"Yup," Cory replied. "I do indeed."

"Dwaine surprised me every time I visited him," I began. "He
always wanted to try new scenes, new positions, and new roles. He liked role
playing. His favorite seemed to be him playing a bad boy muscle stud."

"He does have a really nice body," Cory agreed.

"He always made sex into a game," I continued. "Wait! I
don't want to talk about having sex with your brother-in-law.

"I thought I might get some ideas," Cory said with a
smile.

"Trust me Cory," I said in my sexiest quiet voice. "You
don't need any ideas. You've always been creative once I get you naked."

"Too bad this isn't a longer flight," Cory's even more
sexy voice said to me. "We could try out the bedroom."

The House

The Wednesday after our weekend with Cory's family. Landon
stopped the Suburban in front of a sprawling two story house. The stone, wood,
and glass façade of the house helped it settle into the well-manicured lot. A
stone and wood security fence surrounded the entire property.

"This place is huge," I said as Jackson opened my door and
Landon opened Cory's door. We walked to the front door with Jackson and Landon
at our sides.

"It is," Cory replied as he pushed the doorbell button. Even
from the outside I heard the deep sounding chimes echo throughout the interior
of the house. "It has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, three half bathrooms,
and enough entertainment space to host a large wedding reception."

"Mr. Wainwright, Mr. Rodriquez, welcome," exclaimed the
six-one, ebony skinned, muscle hunk in his early fifties as he ushered us inside
the house. "I'm Sean McPherson. I used to work for your grandparents, Mr.
Wainwright."

"I remember you, Mr. McPherson, from some of my visits
while I was at Harvard," Cory responded. "These are friends of ours who came
along with us, Jackson and Landon."

"Would you like me to give you a tour, or would you prefer
to look around by yourselves?" Mr. McPherson asked.

"A quick tour would be helpful," Cory said. "Then, we can
wander around by ourselves."

I stood motionless after we had stepped into the grand
entry hall. Gleaming black and white tiled floors stretched through the round, circular
two story entry hall. A circular staircase led up to the second floor. A
bronze, chrome, and glass table stood in the center of the circle. A large
bronze, chrome, and glass chandelier hung from the ceiling on the second floor.

"The main entertaining area is to the left of the entryway,"
Mr. McPherson explained.

"The room is magnificent..." I said before I quickly added,
"...the white leather furniture needs to be put out to pasture."

The room stretched from the front of the house to the
back. A huge deck extended beyond the glass doors in the back of the house. Huge
floor to ceiling windows streamed sunlight into the massive room.

I fell in love with the house as we walked through the rest
of it. But the cost to renovate the house, I knew, would soon overwhelm me.

We stood in the huge kitchen at the end of the tour.

"Your parents asked me to investigate renovating the
house," Mr. McPherson began. "I brought a contractor in to give estimates and
to suggest ideas for the renovation. Most of the entertaining area and bedrooms
need the floors refinished and a good paint job. The four bathrooms and two
half bathrooms, on the other hand, need to be ripped out and updated. The
contractor thought the full bathrooms will take forty thousand dollars for each
and considerably less for the two half baths. The kitchen could be as high as three
hundred thousand. It's a big kitchen. The heating and air conditioning system was
replaced and reworked three years ago. The contractor's overall estimate
hovered around five hundred thousand dollars."

I looked at Cory who must have seen the fear in my face.

"Would you like to hear the good news now?" Cory asked.

"Yes, please," I replied.

"I asked a real estate expert I know run some numbers for
us," Cory explained. "In his estimate, this house would list on the market for
about seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. We only invested two-hundred
thousand. But, if we do all the renovations we talked about here the house would
be worth about three-million."

"You're telling me, if I understand you, we can't afford
not to renovate," I said smiling.

"You understand me perfectly," Cory said as he put his
hands around my waist and pulled me close to him. "It looks like we have our
dream house in the burbs. We just need the three kids to fill it. You'll need a
car though."

"I'll take the train," I replied. "You get to know the
real people of the city when you take public transportation."

"We could easily secure the house," Landon said. "Install
a gate with card access. Perimeter motion detectors. You'll need to put door
openers on the garage. However, the bays in the garage will not allow us to put
the Suburban inside. I believe Cambridge has some insane rule about parking
large vehicles in your driveway overnight."

"We can get a smaller car. I don't... and I want to make
this well understood... I don't really want to be locked up in my own house,
guys," I interrupted. "Make the whole system invisible. I won't get so paranoid
if I can't see it."

"Invisible it is!" Jackson replied with a smile.

~~~~~

Noel Interrogates Connor

Noel dropped into see me at my office the Friday after the
weekend with Cory's family.

"Grab your jacket, Connor," Noel said as he strode into
the room. "You and I need to have a discussion about a few items. I've heard
some remarkable rumors, and I want to know all the dirt."

"Rumors about what?" I asked as I grabbed my jacket.

"One concerns your weekend with Cory's family," Noel
explained as Jackson joined us. "Another concerns a potential move you might be
making. And the third concerns your professional life. Understand - we're not
leaving Starbucks until I have all the dirt I need."

"Something has you cranked up, Noel," I said as I grabbed
my coat.

"I'll get the car," Jackson said.

"Isn't a BMW good enough for you, Jackson?" Noel said as
he threw his keys to Jackson.

"It'll do," Jackson replied as the three of us headed out
the door. Noel's BMW stood double-parked in front of the Center.

Jackson pulled into a rare vacant parking space in front
of Starbucks. Noel and I found a table near the front while Jackson ordered a trio
of Caramel Macchiatos.

Jackson put two macchiatos on the table and found a
position near the door.

Noel started the interrogation. "Last weekend on Long
Island. How did it go?"

"It went well," I began. "I enjoyed Cory's family. The
whole weekend felt as though I inherited a family which is not an experience
I've really had during my life."

"Terrific!" Noel exclaimed before he spotted the ring on
my finger. "This! What is this?"

"It's a ring," I explained.

"Impressive," Noel added. "What kind of ring?"

"Engagement," I responded as I watched Noel's reaction.
His eyes seemed to light up.

"Yes," I explained. "We stood in the bedroom naked after
sharing this amazing kiss. Cory suddenly raced across the room and pulled out
this tiny box from his bag. Before I could say fuck, he was down on his knee
with the box in his hand. It took me all of two seconds after he popped the
question to say yes."

"Hmmm," Noel said as he concentrated on the ring. "Naked,
huh?"

"Yup," I replied. "Both hard as rocks. We had one of the
most spectacular nights after I accepted, and he put on his own matching ring.
The wedding band locks onto the engagement ring."

"I will not ask you what made the evening so spectacular,"
Noel countered. "Some things are best left unsaid."

"Thank you, cuz," I said with a smile. "I've never been
happier."

"Tell me about the move," Noel continued.

"How did you find out we even looked at a house?" I asked.
Curiosity took over.

"John's brother saw your black box SUV in front of a
midcentury modern house in our neighborhood. The house has been vacant for
almost six months," Noel explained. "Did you make an offer?"

"No," I replied. "We own it."

"You own it?" Noel asked. "So fast?"

"It belonged to Mrs. Wainwright's parents," I continued.
"Wednesday afternoon after we saw the house, we survived a flurry of paper
signing and a money transfer. We owned the house as of Thursday evening."

"I always knew you worked fast, cuz," Noel said. "Tell me
about the house. I have heard it's spectacular."

"It has an amazing two story circular entryway with a
curved suspended staircase leading to the second floor," I explained. "Turn
left and you walk into a twenty-foot-wide living area which stretches from the
front to the back of the house. It has floor to ceiling windows everywhere and
a deck off the back. To the right of the entryway is another equally large room
designated as the dining area opening to a six hundred square foot kitchen.
Four bedrooms occupy the second floor."

"Exactly how big is this house?" Noel asked.

"Two floors total eight thousand square feet," I added. "I
have no idea what we'll do with eight thousand square feet of house, but we own
it."

"John and I will need to put on an addition," Noel said. "I'm
assuming Cory's condo will be history as soon as you move in. And I suspect
you'll fill your eight thousand square foot house with kids. How many?"

"Three," I said as I smiled broadly. "When are you and
John giving Eagan a brother or sister?"

"Interesting you should bring up another kid," Noel said.
His smile grew larger. "The three of us have spent time with a kid at the
agency. He's two. And, just like Eagan, he's HIV positive. Drugs killed both
his parents. Eagan fell in love with him. John fell in love with him. I fell in
love with him. Graham, his name, will spend this weekend with us. If the visit
goes well, he won't be in foster care anymore. I'm confident we'll have a
brother for Eagan by Monday morning."

"Congratulations, cuz!" I exclaimed. "I'll bet Eagan is
pumped."

"We all are," Noel replied. "I never thought I'd become a
married homebody with two kids. But here I am. A married homebody with two
kids. We'll stop at three."

Jackson suddenly appeared and sat next to me.

"Don't panic," Jackson said. "You might have a visitor."

I looked up and saw Tide making his way to our table.

"Connor Rodriquez!" Tide said as stood beside our table.
"Imagine bumping into one another. How's the movie business going?"

"I'll bet if I were one of your rich man clients you
wouldn't have said you're busy, would you, Connor?" Tide said as he glared at
me.

"I believe you might want to be moving on," Jackson said
as he stood. Tide had to look up at Jackson's massive body.

"Don't get bent out of shape, pussy boy," Tide added.
"I'll be on my way. But, Connor, I thought I should let you know. You'll get a
call from your future husband's brother-in-law, Dwaine. Dwaine Carlisle, I
believe his name is. I heard he looked pretty shaken a few days ago. I'll see
you around, Connor, pussy boy."

Tide turned and left us speechless. Finally, Jackson reacted.
"It's time to get you home, Connor. We need to discuss this. I'll have Landon
and Cory meet us."

"This is bad," I finally said as I looked at Noel. "This
is really bad, Noel. My worst nightmare just left a smoking gun on the table."

"Let's get you home," Noel replied. "We'll get to my last
topic of discussion when we see each other next."

Jackson stood and pulled me up with him. He handed Noel
his keys, and we left Starbucks.

~~~~~

To be continued...

If you would like to be on the announcement
list for Together Forever, please send an e-mail by clicking here.

Please
note, the following stories are not for everyone because there are several
scenes depicting Master/slave and BDSMrelationships. So, if you are not
interested in this type of literature, please, please do not read this story.